DVD: Evan Almighty (PG)

EVAN Baxter (Carell) bids farewell to his job as anchorman on Eyewitness News in Buffalo, New York, to pursue a career in politics. Newly elected to Congress, Evan transplants his family - wife Joan (Graham) and three sons Dylan (Simmons), Jordan (Phillips) and Ryan (Bennett) - halfway across the country to Huntsville, Virginia to pursue his goal of changing the world.

EVAN Baxter (Carell) bids farewell to his job as anchorman on Eyewitness News in Buffalo, New York, to pursue a career in politics.

Newly elected to Congress, Evan transplants his family - wife Joan (Graham) and three sons Dylan (Simmons), Jordan (Phillips) and Ryan (Bennett) - halfway across the country to Huntsville, Virginia to pursue his goal of changing the world.

The workload is heavy, and Evan strives tirelessly to impress Congressman Long (Goodman) with the help of his assistant Rita (Sykes), chief of staff Marty (Higgins) and intern Eugene (Hill).

Benevolent

With his family life falling to pieces around him, Evan is shocked when a benevolent stranger dressed in white (Freeman) appears before him. "I am God and I want you, Evan Baxter, to build an ark," instructs the ethereal figure.

Evan Almighty, the belated sequel to smash hit Bruce Almighty, treads a similar path to its predecessor, propelling an ordinary if flawed man on a quest of self-improvement. This time, however, the moralising is laid on thick, and the religious subtext screams louder than John Debney's orchestral score, extolling the virtues of a loving family with an unwavering faith in the Lord.

A few gentle laughs sustain fleeting interest until director Tom Shadyac and his gargantuan special effects team pull out all the stops for a spectacular, water-drenched finale.

Supporting characters bear the heaviest burden of comic relief, like Sykes's sassy assistant who takes one look at her boss's bushy new face fuzz, and quips "Why do you sound like Evan Baxter but look like a Bee Gee?"